Chief Executive Officer John Lisowski told the Sun yesterday that he is retiring from his duties of managing the team's day-to-day business operations on July 24 -- his 58th birthday.

The Renegades will not replace Lisowski, instead leaving club president Lonie Glieberman to run the show on a daily basis.

"John has done a great job for this organization," said Glieberman. "He's going to continue to work with us on a consulting basis, and we're going to evaluate what we do on a daily basis."

Glieberman, who has concentrated on "streamlining" costs since his father purchased 51% of the team in April, will keep Lisowski close by as an advisor.

Lisowski -- who spent 35 years as managing partner at the Ottawa office of PricewaterhouseCoopers as well as a financial consultant for such local organizations as the Senators -- will assist the Renegades primarily in the winter, when Glieberman turns his focus on running the family-owned ski resort in Michigan.

An Arnprior native and longtime season-ticket holder at Frank Clair Stadium, Lisowski was hired on Feb. 2, 2004. He also served as co-chair of the 2004 Grey Cup with former Renegades owner Randy Gillies.

"I was brought in to establish fiscal responsibility and run the Grey Cup, which was a significant project," he said. "With the new ownership, Lonie is fiscally responsible, so we don't need to worry about controlling costs in here. He's going to run the organization, and we don't need two people at this level.

"I'm happy. I never viewed this as a long-term adventure. I achieved what I wanted to achieve. This is a stable, solid organization, and it's backed by the ownership awareness and wherewithal that will keep football in this city."

One of Lisowski's last acts as CEO was to work on a new four-year lease for the team at Frank Clair Stadium, a deal that has been agreed upon in principle and should be formalized soon.

The team also has a number of corporate partnerships Lisowski will maintain in the off-season.

"It's important that we have long-term relationships (with the city and corporate community)," said Lisowski. "I am convinced (the Renegades) are here to stay."